Using Social Media for B2B Communications

Most of the social media channels are a business to consumer (B2C), or as many of us think, they are. But can they be used for business to business (B2B) communication as well and how effectively? We believe in people, and not companies. Individuals who create organisations and individuals who are communicating on behalf of a company, therefore we don’t think there should be a necessary distinction between the two segment in social media. But there are some general rules. This post is all about these rules and trends.

Companies are people

Remember the time when companies created their first Twitter account and started to communicate like that of a PR agency? Those times are over, and it didn’t work out well at that point either. People make companies and companies are people, a human voice is necessary. We still hear claims like We are a B2B company; we are not interested in Facebook communication.That cannot be farther from the truth.

Setting the right goals

For a B2B company, setting the right goals is highly relevant for social media. For example, while a business with promoting consumer products as a goal might be to have a significant amount of following on a Facebook page; a B2B company’s goal should be greater engagement and other drives. A massive social network like Facebook is still the best tool you can use to find new audiences and reach out to millions of would-be consumers, even if you’re in the B2B space.

Everyone has a human story – companies have it too

So you are a printing company, and your primary target is to form business transactions with other small businesses. Even though finding personal consumers is not your aim, you still need trading partners. Find your story then; every company has a human touch that can be communicated through social media, even on Facebook, no matter what type of business.

Your business partners are people too – with their particular needs and interests

There are no companies as a target group. There are decision makers at companies whom you need to persuade to become your business partner. These decision makers are also humans. If you can find out what are they interested in, on a personal level as well, you can target them on more consumer-focused social media channels too. Everyone wants to have fun in their work too, a little humor and personality don’t hurt in your marketing campaigns.

This week we will show you the latest trends in B2B social media. Please join our weekly Q&A where we answer all of your questions.